Agreat number of prequels have risen and died in the three years since Game of Thrones came to an uneasy conclusion, but one has survived the long night of HBO pre-production: House of the Dragon. Former Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik serves as show-runner alongside George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, and he’s promised fans more of what made Game of Thrones such a successful fantasy series—cunning politics, feats of heroism, and dragons.
On his press tour, Sapochnik has also walked back other aspects of the HBO drama that came to define Game of Thrones, however, such as depictions of violence and a gratuitous amount of sex scenes. He revealed to Metro.co.uk that some of the scenes were “quite taxing” to film, including one in which “five kids between the ages of 9 and 12 had to beat each other senseless.” Still, this scene will likely place nowhere near the carnage that we’ll end up seeing over the course of a show tasked with topping shocking events such as the Red Wedding.
Streaming above and featuring stunning shots of battles, King’s Landing, and airborne dragons, the trailer tees up the central conflict of the series: the battle for succession to the Iron Throne, which plays out between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen. Traditionalists aren’t ready to see a woman take the Iron Throne, but Rhaenyra is bound and determined to “create a new order” from the back of her dragon. Meanwhile, members of Houses Stark, Velaryon, Lannister, and Baratheon plot against those in power, but the Targaryens have unmatched firepower.
Ready to get your dragon on? Buckle up for everything we know about the show thus far, including what we learned from House of the Dragon’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year.
What Did We Learn at House of the Dragon’s Comic-Con presentation?
The House of the Dragon panel kicked off with the extended trailer for the series, which showed a whole lot of Game of Thrones-y antics: the (then-) latest and greatest battle for the Iron Throne, a longer tease of the battle for succession at the show’s center, and a look at the time “when dragons ruled as one.” This included, yes, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it teases of the dragons.
Of course, Martin showed up, too, revealing that he’s already seen nine of House of the Dragon’s 10 episodes. The verdict? “I’m very happy,” he quipped. (We all know the guy is never shy to speak his mind.) Oh, if you were curious—because we know you are—House of the Dragon’s cast revealed who spoke the best High Valyrian. It’s none other than Rhaenyra Targaryen herself, Milly Alcock.
Who Is in the House of the Dragon Cast?
A lot of people, but don’t expect to find anyone to root for in this cast of characters. Martin warned that there won’t be fan favorites like Game of Thrones had, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s powerful, it’s visceral, it’s dark, it’s like a Shakespearean tragedy. There’s no Arya—a character everybody’s going to love. They’re all flawed. They’re all human. They do good things. They do bad things. They’re driven by lust for power, jealousy, old wounds—just like human beings. Just like I wrote them.” Nonetheless, these new characters sound pretty interesting.
